Memory of the Poor
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Amos 2,6-10.13-16
Yahweh says this: For the three crimes, the four crimes of Israel, I have made my decree and will not relent: because they have sold the upright for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals, because they have crushed the heads of the weak into the dust and thrust the rights of the oppressed to one side, father and son sleeping with the same girl and thus profaning my holy name, lying down beside every altar on clothes acquired as pledges, and drinking the wine of the people they have fined in the house of their god. Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, he who was as tall as the cedars, as strong as the oaks; I who destroyed his fruit above ground and his roots below. It was I who brought you up from Egypt and for forty years led you through the desert to take possession of the Amorite's country; Very well! Like a cart overloaded with sheaves I shall crush you where you stand; flight will be cut off for the swift, the strong will have no chance to exert his strength nor the warrior be able to save his life; the archer will not stand his ground, the swift of foot will not escape, nor will the horseman save his life; even the bravest of warriors will jettison his arms and run away, that day! -declares Yahweh!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This oracle of the prophet is caused by the crimes committed against the poor in Israel. They are seven sins, all marked by injustice and corruption of life such as the sale of human beings for money, the brutality in trampling the poor "into the dust of the earth," immorality in behaviour, denial of the rights to the sacrilege of the misappropriation of the assets of the sanctuary. For those who live in fullness and abundance, the lives of others and in particular of the poor often have no value. The prophet Amos, who is indignant for this situation, understands the responsibility to publicly denounce it so ta the culprit may repent and the life of society may follow the Lord's teachings. It is the style typical of the prophets: the proclamation of the Word of God turns always to denouncing injustice and violence toward others, particularly if they are poor and weak. For Israel - as well as for Jesus' disciples - there is an aggravating factor in comparison to other peoples for they have been helped and delivered by the Lord. God - reminds the prophet Amos - had freed Israel from the Amorites (the inhabitants of the land of Canaan), a strong and bellicose people, so that they could live in the freedom of being the people of the covenant with Him. But Israel has become proud to the point of thinking to do away with the Lord and to be self-sufficient. The forgetfulness of the mercy God makes us arrogant. Therefore God will humble Israel ("I will press you down in your place") until they recognize their fragility, weakness and need to be helped. Yesterday, as today, the power of believers lies in God only.